Superintendent’s Memo #241-12

SUBJECT: Changes in National Board Subsidy Grant Program

The Virginia Department of Education has been informed that the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) is changing the model for distributing funds received from a United States Department of Education grant to provide partial financial support through the Candidate Subsidy Program for individuals interested in seeking initial National Board Certification.

The Department has been asked to inform school divisions that effective with next year’s 2013-2014 candidate cycle, NBPTS will no longer offer the current federal subsidy model and the $1,250 grant will no longer be available for individuals seeking either National Board Certification or Take One!. Eligible teachers, who may have been considering seeking National Board Certification next school year, may wish to apply for a national board subsidy grant, contingent upon available funds distributed by NBPTS, for the 2012-2013 cycle. Interested teachers may do so by submitting the attached application by October 12, 2012.

Individuals interested in seeking a National Board Certification Subsidy Grant must have met the following eligibility prerequisites:

Possess a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university;

Completed three years of successful full-time teaching experience or completed three years of successful full-time experience as a school counselor (if applying for the School Counseling Certificate) by the end of the 2011-2012 school year;

Held a valid state license that must have been unencumbered (e.g., not suspended or revoked) during the three years of employment verified by the applicant;

Possess a valid five-year Virginia teaching license; and

Be employed as a teacher or school counselor in a Virginia public school for the 2012-2013 school year.

Seek National Board Certification in a certificate area that is compatible with the endorsement on the Virginia five-year renewal license.

Applicants, if selected for a grant, will be responsible for the remaining fees. If the number of requests for subsidy grants exceeds the funds available, priority will be given to eligible grant applicants who are employed in hard-to-staff schools. Grants are contingent upon available funding.

Please submit applications directly to Mrs. Eleanor Joyce, licensure specialist, Division of Teacher Education and Licensure, Virginia Department of Education, P. O. Box 2120, Richmond, Virginia 23218-2120 or by fax at (804) 530-4510. The Department of Education will notify individuals whether or not they have been selected to receive a subsidy grant, contingent on available funds distributed by NBPTS, no later than October 26, 2012.

If you have any questions regarding this application process, please do not hesitate to contact Mrs. Joyce, at Eleanor.Joyce@doe.virginia.gov or (804) 225-2022.